The Year Sirius Was Santa
by Remchlomany
Summary: Sirius/Remus, side Lily/James Remus is depressed, Sirius is lovestuck. It's up to Lily and James to make sure these pups have a VERY merry Christmas. Will the pups get together? And why is SIRIUS Santa? Find out all, and more. RLSB, slight JPLE
1. In the Head Dorms

**Hey all! Remchlomany here, with the story of a lifetime. Well, not really. Just a story I've been trying to write for FOREVER. Sorry Sarah. I'm an ADD git. But here it is! Your extremely late birthday present!**

**Anyways, here we go. As per the requirements: Marauder-era fic with Wolfstar, where James and Lily try to get Sirius and Remus together. And side Lily/James! Yay!**

**So, dedicated to the very awesome Sarah. And special thanks to Noah for helping me with James.**

**So there. NOW LET THE GAMES BEGIN!**

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_Dear Father Christmas,_

_ I still don't believe in you. It's rationally impossible for one man to travel around the world all in one night, delivering presents. Granted, yes, you could use a Time Turner, that's plausible. But why would the Ministry grant a Time Turner to a fat nit for the menial task of delivering presents?_

_ Nevertheless, I write this letter to you in the hopes you will deliver to me a new broomstick, and a new jumper. Preferably some shade of blue. Also, a new copy of my Charms textbook would be nice. It appears some Hufflepuff has found mine, and mistook it for theirs. And finally, a copy of Wuthering Heights would be nice. I saw a very shy Gryffindor boy reading it the other day. __He, I mean, i__t looked very good._

_Still not convinced,_

_Edmund Errington, the Fourth  
Sixth Year_

James snorted, slipping the neat and crisply folded letter back into its blue envelope. He flipped the note over, eyeing the indented eagle in its upper left hand corner, and snorted again. _The eagle of skepticism… _ James looked up, debating which pile to put it in. Medium, Hard, Medium, Hard….

He decided on Medium, tossing it into the appropriate pile. James had no idea how tall a wuthering height was, but it looked like a book, and Moony was bound to know who it's by and where to get it. Though Remus had been pretty distant lately… He turned back to the unexamined pile, picking up another letter at random. He unfolded it, hoping this one would be less stuffy than the previous ones.

_Dear "Father Christmas",_

_ As you know, I am atheist, but this year, as per my decision and the pressure of some pretty devout Catholics in my year, I have chosen to celebrate Christmas this year. Now, in order of most wanted to least wanted:_

_Money, preferably in the 3 to 6 Galleons range_

_One (1) new cashmere scarf, purple_

_One (1) copy of the Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology_

_Three (3) new writing quills_

_I shall expect these no later than December 25__th__, 1976. Don't heavily wrap them; no need to waste all that paper._

_I shall be waiting,_

_Liana Fennstien  
Third Year_

James scoffed, throwing the letter into the Easy pile. All these Ravenclaws were much too drippy. He dug furiously through the stack, trying to find at least one letter that wasn't perfectly folded and sealed. He finally found one: a paler blue envelope, with crinkled edges. The Head Boy allowed himself a laugh of victory, before eagerly ripping open the battered slip. Disappointment fell over his face like a watermelon from the roof of a building for a school science project when he saw its quickly scrawled contents.

_Dear Father Christmas,_

_ Hi. I know I usually have a big, long list of things I want, like when I was five- you remember that? The year with the minigriff? Yes, well, anyways, I have a short list this year. Not an easy one, granted. Not like the year I wanted a balloon. I remember that- my selfless phase!_

_ Anyways, back on topic. This year, all I want is a test preparation book for the OWLs. They're months away. I'll never be ready in time without it! I've done research, and I've heard a few people talk about seeing some test preparation booklets down in Hogsmeade._

_Please!_

_Brittany Reid_

_Fifth Year_

James groaned, flopping backwards onto his bed. So boring… either all Ravenclaws have no life, or the ones who stayed behind are just particularly drippy. And none of them sound even remotely hot.

James mentally cursed the headmaster. True, he has major respect for Dumbledore, but this just seemed cruel to make the Head students sort thought ALL the secret Santa letters. True, almost all the Slytherins had left to go visit home, and Hufflepuff wasn't participating due to a house-wide scavenger hunt, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But it was still bad. The entire Ravenclaw house had stayed to read, or study, or just be nerdy and shit… And most of the Gryffindors had stayed to partake in the Hogwarts celebrations, except Peter. Peter had gone to… visit his grandma or something like that. James didn't really mind; it meant more sweets for him.

The head boy stood up. Someone was going to hear about these boring Ravenclaws…

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**Heh, I know... short chapter is short... but you didn't really want James going on and on about how bored he was, do you?**

**I thought not.**

**Rate and review. It would be great if- WHOA~... A DOUBLE RAINBOW~...**

**... So intense...**


	2. In the Head Dorms, Pt II

**Hey! Look! An almost immediate update! Don't get spoiled, though. It might not be like this all the time.**

**Anyways, onwards and upwards, as they say!**

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Lily sat on the floor, lazily reading through her current letter:

_Dear Father Christmas,_

_Sorry I haven't written to you the past few Christmases. Each year, I tell myself to write to you, but then I end up forgetting._

__

That's why, this year, I write to you asking for a remembrall.

_My friend James had one in our second year. I thought it was real cool. The smoke stuff inside would turn red any time he forgot something. Which was a lot. Anyway, though, I've never had a remembrall. James always has nice stuff. I'd really like it if you would bring me one this Christmas. Along with a package of pumpkin pastries, a new jumper(my old one was ruined in some activities my friends and I were doing.. long story,) and er, last but not least.. A book I saw called __Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches__. I'm not the most charming in that department, you see..._

__

Anyway, that's all I ask for Christmas this year.  
Best Christmas wishes,

_Peter Petti-_

Lily looked up when the sound of footsteps echoed though the dorms. Shit. James again, probably coming to complain. She mused her hands though her ginger hair, trying to form it into some kind of presentable shape. Wait. Why was she doing this? I mean, it's just **James**, it's not like-

She was awakened from her thoughts by a cough. Looking, her face dropped. James was leaning on the arch of the door. Great. She sighed.

"My little Lilypad! You finally noticed me! I was starting to feel ignored." He stated, adding a pout at the end.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Maybe you were being ignored. Maybe I don't want to hear you complaining about sorting letters."

"Awwww, but," James huffed, "don't we have a hat for these kind of things?"

Lily groaned, this being the third time explaining this: "The Sorting Hat sorts _people_. _We_ have to sort letters."

"Can I at least do it in here with you? I'd be nice to have something pretty to look at." James added with a wink.

Lily flushed, but recovered quickly. "No. You'll go through my stuff when I'm not looking. Listen, would it make you happier if we traded letters? Here, I'll take Ravenclaw, and you can take Gryffindor." She stood up, motioning for him to take her place.

He gave a gracious nod, plopping himself down where Lily had just sat. Lily started to walk out of the room when James called her back.

"Hey, Lily?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Thanks. This is really nice of you," he said with a smile.

Lily blushed again, and quickly made her way to James' room, before swiftly coming back.

"Oh, and by the way... Go though my underwear drawer again, and I'll hex you into next Easter." She smiled as she walked away.

James rolled his eyes, then rubbed his hands together. FINALLY! Interesting letters! By people he might actually know! He picked up the first one he saw, and ripped it open.

_Dear James..._

He sat dumfounded for a minute, before reading on…

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**Aw, I know. Cliffhangers. Gotta hate 'em. But hey! The next chapter is where things really get rolling!**

**Chocolate-covered Oreos to my fellow Witch for Wolfstar, Carly, who wrote Peter's letter, and Maddie, my beautiful ginger beta.**


	3. In the Head Dorms, Pt III

***cringes* Yes, I know. I'm a _bad_ person for going a week without updating! But, in my defense, my computer, Karen, did kick the bucket, and I did have a friend visiting. So, here we go! Up, up, and away~!

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_Dear James,_

_Yes, I know, I've reached an all-time low when I'm going to you for help. But there's no one else: Peter's been so distant lately, Lily already knows, and Sirius…_

_Anyways, James, I need your help, though I don't know how much you can do, but you're the only person I can think of. _

_Seeing as I am writing this as a letter to Santa, I might as well word it as such:_

_Dear Santa,_

_ All I want for Christmas is Sirius_

_ And maybe a nice box of chocolate._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

_Seventh Year_

_ Knowing you, you were not aware that I'm in love with Sirius. I know you're fine with me being gay, and I hope this doesn't freak you out either._

_ Moving on, I need your help. To explain why, I shall use an excerpt from __A Study of Lycanthropy__:_

_ "When a werewolf reaches the age of about 15-17, the werewolf will find it needs a mate. Every werewolf needs a different mate, which will vary on gender, personality, and physical appearance. When 'werewolf puberty' is reached, a werewolf will wander off on his or her own, avoiding the company of their regular friends. Until a mate is found, the werewolf will slip into a state of depression."_

_ And then it goes on to talk about what happens when they find a mate and 'confirming' that mate, but you don't need to read about that…_

_ And now I've come to you. I'm out of ideas, Prongs. I need your help. Please._

_Happy Christmas,_

_Remus_

James stared dumbfounded at the letter, before calling out calmly:

"Lily~… Can you come here for a sec?"

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**Like I said, I'm a bad person. But this chapter was going to be short no matter what happened to Karen.**

**Red Vines to my female warrior beta Maddie and my friends for helping me though Remus' letter. **

**For those of you about to review: What do you like? What don't you like? What would you like to see? What's your favorite marine mammal?**

**That last one is mandatory.**


	4. In the Library

**I'm proud of myself. This took 20 minutes. I'm getting good. Hope you like it, Sarah! XD

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Edmund Errington stared intensely at the book in front of him, glancing every once in a while to the side to take notes on it. He looked up at the purposed sound of feet walking through his aisle. He gaped.

James ignored the eyes on him; he knew it was a horrible shock to see him, James S. Potter in the library. But he was too far in his own little world of bliss as Lily dragged him by the hand through the library. His mind, much like every time spent around Lily, had gone blank.

Lily trudged through the library, a calculating expression on her face. She wound he way through lengthy aisles, ducked under floating books, and made her way the the back of the library, James in tow, until she came to a small cleared alcove.

Remus was huddled in the corner, piles upon piles of books surrounding him like a makeshift fortress. Lily picked one up; it was a book on werewolf psychology. She looked down at the boy in the center. Remus' hair was in horrible disarray, and he had bags under his eyes. In short, he looked a wreak.

Lily stood in front of him, and coughed quietly. He didn't look up. Lily reluctantly let go of James' hand- he whined- and kneeled down to Remus' level. "Remus? Hey, Remus?"

Remus finally looked up, rubbing his eyes. "Oh. Lily. Hi." He closed his book and spotted James. "James, did you need Lily to show you where the library is? You've probably never been in here before. Since you're here, I'll assume you got my letter."

Lily sat fully on the floor, beckoning James to do the same. "Yeah, and that's what we came to talk-" James cut in here. "So you're in love with Sirius?"

Remus blinked a few times, before responding. "Yes. Was my letter not clear?"

"No, it was clear, just… unexpected."

"Unexpected?" Lily chimed in, "James, do you pay attention at all? It's very obvious."

"Well, I'm sorry, Lily, not all of us have women's intuition and all that. Anyways, Remus, why are you telling us this all of a sudden?"

Remus sighed, finally putting away his book. "I told you already. You know my birthday? Last March? Ever since then, I've been… changing. And apparently, as a werewolf, I need a mate. Obviously, I've already chosen, but…" Here, he sighed. "A werewolf also has to be chosen back…"

James patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry mate-" "Please don't use that word" "Er, right; sorry. Anyways, don't worry. I've got a plan."

"You do?" Remus asked, slightly skeptical.

"I do." James stood up. "C'mon, Lils. Let's go put said plan into action." He extended his hands to Lily, hoisting her up. "See ya later, Moons!"

As they walked off, Lily murmured, "Should we have told him Sirius is _already_ in love with him?"

James shook his head. "If all goes according to plan, we won't need to."

"Speaking of the plan…" Lily stopped. She pulled out Remus' letter and a pair of scissors. Making careful cuts, she edited the letter to say:

_Dear Santa,_

_ All I want for Christmas is Sirius_

_ And maybe a nice box of chocolate._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

_Seventh Year_

Taking the thin slip of paper, she took out a red envelope, wrote _Sirius Black, Seventh Year, Gryffindor_ on the front, and slipped the paper inside, tapping it with her wand to seal it. "There. Let's go put this with the others to get sent out."

She graciously ignored the contented sigh James let out when she grabbed his hand.

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**Oh, lookie! We FINALLY get to know their plan! **

**Chocolate gelato to Felicia and Julia, my betas for this chapter.**


	5. In the Great Hall

**Haha! I'm back! With another chapter! That I wrote! While on a bus! While listening to Christmas music! In September!**

**HERE WE GO! (HERE WE GO!) HERE WE GO! (HERE WE GO!) EVERYBODY'S GONNA GET DOWN! LET'S GO!**

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The Great Hall was quiet, compared to most days. The Slytherin table was completely empty, and teachers at the head table were more laid back and relaxed than usual; Dumbledore was even wearing a flamboyant green and red hat. What was left of the usually packed Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables was bustling with activity. The Gyrffindors basked in the cheery holiday mood, while the Hufflepuff eagerly discussed the Scavenger Hunt.

The Marauders sat in their usual spot about midway in the Gryffindor table, close enough to hear any of Dumbledore's announcements, but far enough away for a quick getaway if one of their pranks went sour.

Remus, for all his politeness at other times, was a ravenous eater. Be it for his 'furry little problem', or maybe just his upbringing, but whenever Remus ate, he would always get slight smears of whatever he was eating all over his face.

So, that morning, like always, Sirius had taken it upon himself to watch over Remus as he ate, and making himself responsible to wipe off any food substance that appeared anywhere it shouldn't be; Sirius figured he was always watching him anyways, so why not help out? He also felt very protective of his lycanthropic friend, so this came naturally.

James looked up from his toast only when he was sharply elbowed in the ribs. He looked to his left at Lily. She rolled her eyes, and jerked her head towards the other side of the table. Peter was half asleep as he licked jam off of one of his fingers, but it was Sirius and Remus who were more interesting. Sirius was wiping milk off Remus' lip, and Remus was blushing a furious shade of red.

James looked back over to Lily. She sighed; "I think they're sort of made for each other, y'know? I mean, Sirius can be sort of a idiot sometimes, but Remus tells me he finds it endearing."

James paused, and then nodded. "They'll go well together," he agreed.

Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with a flurry of movement as more than 75 owls swooped in, each carrying either a red of blue envelope in its clutches.

"Oh, finally!" Peter exclaimed. "Our assignments! It's about bloody time; I've been waiting all morning for- HEY!" he complained as an small tawny owl dropped a blue envelope on his head. James laughed as Peter scowled.

Seconds afterwards, a trim red envelope was dropped in front of Sirius, landing partway in his cereal. "Well, finally!" He grinned, "I hope I got one of those good-lookin' Ravenclaw birds."

"Padfoot, it's a red envelope. It's written by a Gryffindor." Remus noted though a mouthful of eggs.

"… Oh," Sirius said, "Well, I'm screwed. But at least there's some good looking Gryffindor boys," he added with a wink in Remus' direction, at which he blushed again and went back to his eggs.

On the other side of the table, Lily and James shared a knowing look as Sirius eagerly ripped open his letter, then pulled out the slim piece of paper and read it quickly.

He gaped.

He read it again.

He stared at Remus.

He stared at the letter again.

And then a slow, plotting smile spread across his face; this would be called "A Marauder Smile".

Lily and James secretly fist bumped under the table.

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**Operation: Santa is in motion! MUAHAHA! ADERDERDERDERDER!**

**... I forgot to have someone beta this chapter. Cookies for EVERYONE, then!**

**Yes, even you!**


	6. In the Gryffindor Dorms

**Kudos to Shadowed Shinobi for finally getting the AVPM reference! Double stuf Oreo for you!  
****And Red Vines to everyone that review. Reviews make me type faster. And just generally make me happy.  
****Oh, god. I'm a review whore now, aren't I?  
Anyways, I'm a little stuck on this fic. I've got a general idea where I'm going, but it's not set in stone. So I think in the meantime, I'll upload an RP Sarah and I did. Sounds good?  
Anyways... FOR NARNIA! AND FOR ASLAN!

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Remus sat on his bed, rereading Wuthering Heights for the fourth time that week; it was one of his favorite books, which he liked to read when he was upset. He yawned. Ever since this 'Sirius Sickness' had come over him, Remus had been sleeping poorly. No, not poorly; _horribly_. There were night when he would be woken up by Sirius shaking him, claiming he had been whimpering and mumbling in his sleep. Remus remembered these dreams; he didn't remember details, but he did remember they were full of pain. Pain, worse than even his transformations. And an incredibly feeling of loneliness, above all.

"Hey Moony, you okay?" a voiced asked. Remus sat up quickly, noticing Sirius entering the room. He groaned. "Enjoying the festivities, are we?" he asked. For, it did appear Sirius was. The boy was decked out in Christmas gear head to foot, from his Santa hat to his green and red converse, to the giant bag of candy canes he was carrying.

"Fuck yes. Moons, did I ever tell you how much I love mistletoe?" he asked, lying down next to Remus with his hands behind his head. "It's wonderful. I mean, I didn't really need an excuse to kiss birds before, but now there's a festive reason to?" he added with a grin.

"That's marvelous, Pads, just fucking marvelous," Remus scowled, grabbing his book and swinging his legs off the bed.

"Hey, Moons, where ya goin'?" Sirius asked, concerned by his friend's haste exit. "Is it something I said?"

In reality, it was. Remus could stand to sit there and listen to Sirius bragging about all the girls he's kissed. Especially when he was extremely jealous of every single one of those girls. But he couldn't tell Sirius that, no. So, he lied. "No, Sirius, you didn't say anything. I just… I need to be alone right now, that's all," he sighed.

"Okay, but Remus…" he paused, moving off the bed. He needed to show Remus that he cared. The poor boy still didn't know he loved him… "I want you to know that I'm your mate, and I'm here for you, no matter what," and hugged him.

_ Shitshitshitshitshit… Damn British slang…_ Remus tensed immediately. Of course, he was enjoying the hug, but it, and the combination of Sirius saying "your mate" had set his mind in a frenzy. "T-thank you, Sirius…" he stuttered, momentarily hugging back just as tightly, before scolding himself and running out the door. _Don't do it, Remus… don't get your hopes up… yes, he's bi, but he doesn't like **you**…_

Sirius sighed. He knew he had really fucked up with the mistletoe comment. He hadn't meant to make the boy angry; he'd just meant to see his jealous. But of course, being himself, he'd gone and ruined it. He sat back down on Remus' bed, leaning back against the headboard and unwrapping a candy cane.

A few seconds later, James' head popped through the door. "Padfoot? You in here?" Spotting said boy on the bed, James walked over to him to lean on the bedpost. Spotting the _candy cane_, he demanded, "Cane. Give. Me. Now."

"Alright, alright… no need to be so demanding, Prongs… here," he complained, handing a red-and-white striped cane to James, who proceeded to quickly unwrap and bite down hard on the stick. "Prongsie!" Sirius gasped in mock-horror, "That is _not_ how you eat a candy cane! You have to _savor_ it," he teased, licking and sucking suggestively on his own.

James snorted and shoved Sirius. "Oh, stop it. Only you and Moony like that shit. Speaking of which… I just talked to him in the hall… he seemed kind of upset…" James chose not to mention that he had had to comfort Remus over Sirius' bragging.

"Yeah… that was my fault… as usual… Hey, can I talk to you about something?" he asked, rewrapping his candy cane.

James nodded. "Yeah, of course," he added, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Well… you know secret Santa?" Sirius gulped.

"Duh. It's the only interesting thing going on right now." James rolled his eyes. He was genuinely surprised that Sirius had forgotten that, as Head Boy, he had complained for at least half an hour to Sirius about having to sort through _all_ the letters, which means he would have seen Remus'.

"Well, you see… just look for yourself. This is the one I was assigned," he sighed, handing him the letter.

James slipped the paper into his hand, already knowing what it said:

_Dear Santa,_

_All I want for Christmas is Sirius._

_And maybe a nice box of chocolate._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

_Seventh Year_

"Hey!" James looked up, grinning. If Sirius didn't realize he'd been set up for this, James was going to play along. "Congratulations! He loves ya back!"

Sirius smiled a little bit. "Yeah. And I've got an idea. You in?"

James laughed. "I thought you'd never ask. What's the plan?"

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_**Yeah, not my favorite chapter... the candy cane teasing was originally going to be directed towards Remus (brownie to you, Paul, for the idea), but the Sirius and Remus part just turned out really high-tension, so that plan failed.  
Anyways, I'll lay up on the teen angst in future chapters.  
Potatoes to everyone who WISHES they had beta'd this. **


	7. In the Gryffindor Dorms Again

**...**

**Listen. I'm not proud of myself. When did I last update? Last week? Two weeks ago? I'm not sure. But I feel _bad._ Please yell at me until I lose hearing in my left ear. **

**Anywho, here we go. Dedicated to the whimsical- yes. I just described you as whimsical. Get over it.- Sarah, as always. _Man your battle stations!

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Sirius examined the quill in his hands, turning it over and studying it more closely than he'd ever studied a single textbook before. The object itself looked normal enough; it was a tannish quill with what looked to be black stripes radiating from the shaft. But, there was something slightly different about it: the shaft seemed to shimmer back and forth between solid white and clear. It wasn't a very noticeable detail, and it was only because Sirius was inches away from the feather he even spotted it. But James had sworn this was the thing they needed.

"It's simple," he had explained. "You see, they have these quills they sell on the border of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, but they're not normal quills. They can change your handwriting."

"How?" Sirius had asked. If such a thing existed, he could definably see the ingenious use for it, but he doubted they did. He was a pureblood wizard, who'd ventured down both Alleys many times. If he didn't know about them, they don't exist, right?

"It's like, when you use the quill, it writes the words you're writing, but it changes the way you loop your Ys and things like that. Anyways, in the last Prefects meeting, someone reported confiscating one. I'm pretty sure I can get it for you… Friday morning."

"Friday morning? James, Saturday is Christmas," Sirius had complained, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, I know. But that's when Filch has his weekly meeting with Dumbledore, so that's the only time I can swipe it from his office," James had explained.

"Do ya think you could shank Demon Cat while you're there?" Sirius had asked, hopeful.

James laughed. "Sorry, mate. That'll leave too much evidence. And besides, Friday mornings _sh_e has her weekly meeting with _Satan._ I'll see you later," he had ended, swinging his bag onto his shoulder and leaving for the Prefect's Meeting.

This was the conversation that had led to the situation of Sirius sitting in the dorms, staring at a quill like it was the mysterious savior to all of mankind. _But what to write….?_ he thought. He would have to word it carefully: if he slipped up and wrote 'Moony', Remus'd surely know it was from a Marauder. Finally deciding what to write, Sirius pulled out a scrap of parchment, writing slowly. James was right; the sharp edges of his letters were transformed into smooth curls by the quill. When he was done, he grinned to himself. Even _he_ didn't recognize his handwriting. Sirius whistled Auld Sang Lyle as he folded the note, and pondered the best way to get it to his dear Moony…

_Several hours later…_

Remus trudged into the dorms, practically dropping his stack of books onto his bedside table. He shrugged off his cloak, smattered with library dust, and hung it on the hook of his bedpost. He sank onto the bed, exhausted, before realizing he was sitting on something cool and hard. Assuming it was a book, he shifted his weight, reached back, and pulled it out.

It wasn't a book. It was something much better.

_Chocolate._

Remus ripped the foil off, biting into the creamy goodness eagerly. He was so involved, he didn't even stop to wonder who it was from, or see the small note that fluttered softly onto his lap.

Several minutes later, after all of the chocolate was either traveling down Remus' esophagus or covering his face, Remus made to clean up his trash and finally discovered the small, folded note that had been slipped between chocolate and wrappings. He picked it up, unfolding it carefully and reading the smooth, curly script.

_My dearest Remus,_

_Meet me in the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night at 9:00. I have your Christmas present._

_Love,_

_Your Secret Santa_

From his bed, Sirius heard Remus gasp. He smiled to himself. _This is going to be the best Christmas ever…__

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**OH YEAH. This is how we do it. Mysterious notes in candy.**

**Anyways, I, of course, have had the finale planned since the beginning, so I know how that's going down. But I _might_- repeat: _might_- have a chapter before it, since skipping right to it might mess up my time flow. So, in conclusion: one or two more chapters, _and_ probably an epilogue. **

**... you sly dog! You got me monologuing! Well, review anyways. Everyone who reviews, I will promise to save when the zombies rise.**

**... you wish I was kidding.**


	8. In the Astronomy Tower

**Here it is. The end. Or is it? I'm not sure. You might get an epilogue after this. We'll just have to wait and see. And I don't know! Maybe even a Lily/James sequel! **

**By the way, special thanks to Anya the Purple for telling me to hurry the hell up and finish. You get extra Red Vines.

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Remus didn't think of interesting, thoughtful questions on his way up the Tower stairs.

In hindsight, he should have. He should have been questioning why he was walking up the Astronomy Tower stairs at such a god awful hour, sans cloak and map, because someone didn't put them in his usual place in his trunk, to meet someone who had received a letter he had wrote while near delirious, whom James, deciding to be a right fowl dickhead had sent to probably some poor Ravenclaw. And this poor girl or boy was now either going to awkwardly hand him a box of chocolate, wishing him a Happy Christmas and blatantly ignore his declaration of love in his writing, or sneer and taunt him for being gay. Wee.

But Remus didn't question any of this. Perhaps he was just that tired. Perhaps it was this 'Sirius Sickness' clotting his reasoning. But, for whatever the reason, he felt he had to do this. Some instinct was pulling him towards the Tower, and Remus was not one to ignore his instincts. Carefully avoiding Creaking Step #27, he continued his midnight journey.

"Where is he? Do you think he chickened out? Or got sidetracked? Or fell asleep? Or-"

"Padfoot, shut the hell up! You're making too much noise!" _Whap._

"Ow! That hurt! Geez, Prongs, you act like this is your love scheme, and your future depends on it."

"Hey! I spent a while on this plan! I'm not letting it fall to shit now because Remus hears you and gets cold feet!"

"Hey, guys? My tights are riding up..."

"Shut up, Pete. You're the only one who'd fit in the costume. Besides, Prongs' just makes sense."

"Will you boys be quiet for once? I want to see this go well."

"Sorry, Lils. Do you want a hug to make up for it?"

"…." Another _whap._

"Ow? What the hell was that for, Lilykins?"

"For being a complete idiot."

Sirius sniggered.

"You know what? I'll just take a rain check on that hug, Potter."

It was just a door. Remus had no need to be scared of a door. Doors were just portals to other places; they led from one room to another. But this door made him nervous. What was behind there? A doubting Ravenclaw? The entire Slytherin Quidditch team? Dumbledore in his birthday suit? Remus didn't want to think about that last one… Bracing himself, he slowly pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked. "Hello? Anyone here?"

"Prongs, stop fawning over-"

"Will you shut up? I think he's coming!"

Sirius shivered with anticipation. This was it. His best Christmas ever.

Remus listened as his shoes made dull echoes in the tower. He looked around. No one. Not a single person. He walked over to the balcony railing, looking up at the stars. He frowned a bit, eying the moon, then sighed. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck pricked. He smelled… someone. Multiple people. A jumble of emotions. Anxiety. Giddyness. Itchiness…? Remus whipped around, staring into the dark corners of the Tower. "Hello? Who's here?"

Slowly, a figure slunk out of the darkness. At first, all Remus could see were his black combat boots. After the figure took another step, Remus could see… he was dressed as Father Christmas? Remus looked up farther, and was met with a curtain of black hair and grinning grey eyes.

"Sirius!" Thousands of thoughts flew through his mind. What was Sirius doing up here? Had someone told him to come?

Sirius started walking towards Remus. "Ho ho ho, my dear Moony. Have you been a naughty boy this year?" he asked with a wink.

Remus blushed. "I… um… er…" Remus could literally smell Sirius, he was so close now. He cleared his throat, realigning his mind. "Sirius, what are you doing here? Did someone-"

Sirius put a finger to Remus' lips. "Shhhhh, love. I have a gift for you," He leaned in close, almost touching Remus' nose. Remus audibly gasped, watching Sirius' every move. At the last second, Sirius leaned back, procuring a heart-shaped box of chocolates from behind his back.

Remus took the box, nearly drooling. "Pads, what is this?" He was horribly confused by all this, and everything was happening in a blur, but chocolate stood first and foremost in his mind. So what if Sirius was here when he was supposed to be meeting his Secret Santa who knew his secret? So what if it was late? There was chocolate in the room. Nothing else mattered.

"Well, my dearest Remus, this is a romantically-shaped box of chocolates. Honeyduke's doesn't usually sell heart-shaped boxes of chocolate during the holidays. But, with a little of my family's influence and money, I got the kid working there to make it. Oh, but you mean this?" Sirius gestured to the chocolates, himself, and the dark corner from which he had emerged, "Well, we- wait. Guys, come out of there. Moony can't see you."

A curvy figure stepped out of the darkness. She was dressed all in white, with a floating halo above her head. Her long red hair was tied up in a neat bun, which showed her beauty, but also showed she meant serious business.

"Lily? What are you doing here?" Remus asked. He was nervous, now. Lily and James had answered his plea for love. Was this part of their scheme?

As she came closer, Lily smirked. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't figured out yet. And it was a bloody good reason to dress up. Luckily, I got a decent costume, unlike the others," She laughed.

"The others?" Remus inquired. Who else was here?

"Yeah, the- James, get your arse out here!" Sirius yelled, laughing. Remus shushed him. No need to wake the entire castle.

As soon as Remus saw James, he nearly fell over laughing. James walked out covered in a shaggy brown haired jumpsuit. He had magicked, antlers onto his head, and his nose was painted black. Remus sniggered. "James, what does a stag have to do with Christmas?"

James snorted, "I'm not a stag, Moons; I'm a _reindeer_. Same family, I think."

At the appearance of James, Remus was sure this had to do with his letter. But what? Did Sirius love him too? Remus' heart skipped as he glanced over at Sirius, asking himself.

Sirius was too busy yelling at the corner to notice. "Wormtail, come on! You have to come out some time!"

A pause, then a voice answered back, "I don't want to! This costume is ridiculous…"

James snorted. "Your face is ridiculous, but we don't complain about that. Kidding, kidding!" he assured when he heard the voice in the corner whimper. "Please, come out, Pete?"

Peter sighed. "Fine… but I better get some of that chocolate…" Slowly, the boy passed the veil of darkness. Remus, for Peter's sake, didn't burst out laughing like he wanted to. Peter had been forced into a goofy elf outfit, yellow tights and a gauzy green jacket. He looked utterly miserable. "Why'd we have to wear costumes for this…? I feel weird…"

Sirius sighed. "It goes with the theme, Pete. I'm Father Chirstmas, and you're all my helpers. Now, can I continue, or are you three not done with your little fashion show?"

James make a flamboyant gesture of 'go on', and backed himself, Lily, and Peter a few feet back from Sirius and Remus. Sirius huffed a "thank you," and turned back to Remus.

"Remus, I got a letter recently. It was yours, love." _Love? Did he just call me love?_ "And so, I'm your Secret Santa. I've given you part of your present already, but I need to give you the rest." He moved closer to Remus, taking his hand. If Remus had thoughts at this point, they were along the lines of . "Remus, I know you love me. And I love you, too. So, here's my gift to you." Sirius reached into his pocket, pulling out a black present bow. He stuck it on his head in a ridiculous fashion. "So, here I am. Do you accept?"

Remus had been in shock up to this point, so he had a delayed response. When he did respond, though, it was with his usual brand of humor. "You're an idiot, you know that, right? Going through all this for me? Of course I accept, Sirius. I love you," he beamed.

Sirius grinned, and, in one swift movement, grabbed the back of Remus' neck and kissed him. Up until this point, Remus had just assumed that he had been dreaming. But when he felt Sirius' lips on his, all doubt flew out the window. Forgetting that his three best friends were standing there watching, he wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and pulled him close.

After a minute of Lily rolling her eyes and Peter awkwardly staring at the floor, James coughed, "Hey, can you guys cut that out? You can snog all you want later. I want to explain my part and go to bed."

Reluctantly, the two broke apart, Remus leaning heavily on Sirius. "Oh, come on, mate. I know it's bros before hoes, but technically, Moony is a bro."

Lily rolled her eyes dramatically, "_Anyways,_ it's reveal time. You know how James and I are involved with this, right?"

"Well, duh. You practically backseat flew my entire plan,¹" Sirius snorted.

Lily huffed. "No. That's not what we meant. Here, let's start from the very beginning. Sirius, you got Remus' letter, correct? Do you know who sent you that letter?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Moony did."

Remus frowned. "No I didn't… I sent to James. For the school's Secret Santa thing. _He_ must have sent it to you.

Sirius gasped dramatically, "James, you prat! You knew about this all along, and you played stupid?"

"Yup! Lils and I had _your_ plan, as you so gracefully called it, laid out from the start," James laughed.

Peter squeaked, "I helped, too!"

James laughed, and put an arm around Peter. "Yes you did, Pete. Your input was invaluable. How many toys did you make this year for dear old Santa?"

Peter snorted and pushed James' arm off himself. "None, prat. You know I don't like work."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Boys…"

Still in Sirius' arms, Remus yawned quietly, "Hey, mates? Can we go to bed now?"

James sniggered, "I'm not your mate; Sirius is. Actually, you two still need to complete that project…" he winked. Lily whapped him over the head. "Ow!" James whined, "Okay, okay… I get it… stop with the hitting… But I agree. Bedtime."

One by one, Peter, Lily and James shuffled out the Tower door. Remus could still hear Peter complaining about his outfit on the way down.

"Remus?" Sirius asked. The boy turned back to him. "Happy Christmas, love."

And as Sirius kissed him, Remus had to agree: it was a very Happy Christmas.

_Fin

* * *

_

… **Well? Was it any good? Was my incredibly short chapters worth it for this one? I'm sorry about that, by the way. I had this thing in my head that every chapter had to be in the same location. Dunno why. I guess I'm just strange like that.**

**Also, rereading this story, I found this is exactly the kind of story I probably wouldn't read. Remus is kind of OOC, the whole 'mate' thing is half-assed and not very thought out, and… I dunno. Not enough of the pups in general? Oh, well.**

**Once again, this story was dedicated to the fantabulous Sarah, my fellow Wizard for Wolfstar. Well? Did you like it? I'm sorry I didn't get to the Edmund bashing in this finale. I was almost done when I remembered, and there was no return then. Sorry. But, now my debt to you is over. Heh, look what happened to that 'birthday oneshot' I was going to write you back in… July, I believe? I think this is better, personally. XD**

**Thank you to everyone who followed this from the very beginning. I could list every single one of you here, but I won't. Just know I appreciate you more than peanut butter. And that's a lot.**

**So, I've got some more stuff planned. What, you ask? I dunno… you'll just have to see…**

**Lots of love (and chocolate),**

**Remchlomany**


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